TUALATIN, Ore. — CJ McCollum’s season, if not his Trail Blazers’ career, has been defined by peaks and valleys.
Before training camp his rookie year he broke his foot. Then he broke finger his after starting off the season impressively, holding the team’s highest on-court plus-minus while shooting the lights out from long range and showing better quickness to the basket.
McCollum missed a month and started to get back in the swing of things in the towards the All-Star break, shooting well while being given consistent minutes once again.
The Arron Afflalo trade initially eliminated his playing time, but it’s clear that McCollum will be called upon to contribute in light of the injury to Wesley Matthews.
He was the first off the bench and played nearly 18 minutes Saturday after playing the second half of Thursday’s game after Matthews went down.
“I think CJ is certainly going to be in the mix,” head coach Terry Stotts said.
McCollum, a 40 percent 3-point shooter this season, has said all year that he is just trying to stay ready. Now that he knows he must contribute there is no more time for excuses.
“You got to have a positive impact when you step out on the floor,” McCollum said. “Just continue to try and learn and take advantage of whatever minutes you get and continue to gain trust, that’s the biggest thing. The past is over with.”
Both trust with teammates and trust with the coaching staff are both important keys, especially on this Blazers team that relies heavily on the team concept when they are at their best.
For McCollum, it’s all about being decisive offensively and locked into the principals of the team’s defense.
“Whether it’s a catch and shoot or straight line drive, I think that’s when I’ve been playing my best basketball,” McCollum said. “I have to continue to stick to that and continue to work on the defensive principals and staying locked in.”
Coming off the bench, McCollum knows teams will go after him.
“In the NBA when you come off the bench, a lot of times they’re calling a play for the guy you’re guarding,” McCollum said. “They know you’re not loose and that’s the biggest thing about the league. You have to be ready at all times and try to get stops.”
When asked where he thinks his biggest improvement area has been from his rookie season to the next, he admitted he hadn’t thought about that yet.
“I guess we will see soon enough,” he said.
McCollum will also likely have a shot, like many of the Blazers, at trying to guard Houston’s James Harden.
One of Harden’s specialties is drawing foul calls and getting free-throws.
“You just have to not reach and be smart,” Aldridge said. “He’s looking for that reach-in foul and guys to hit him. You just have to be big and not really put your hand in there.”
Afflalo, Harden’s match-up, is still trying to fit in. The Blazers had a rare two days of practice with their new players, basically a new team, and got in more work to gel. LaMarcus Aldridge isn’t worried about Afflalo fitting in.
“He’s an unselfish guy, he fits into our system,” Aldridge said. “I think as he plays more in the starting lineup it’s going to be even better.”
“The truth of the matter is, for these next 20, 21 games, it’s for me to continually get better, get more experience,” Afflalo said. “So when the games are the most important in the postseason, I’m sharp.”
